1. The cumulative trading volume of spot Bitcoin ETF exceeds 200 billion US dollars
Cumulative trading volume of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs has surpassed the $200 billion mark, less than three months after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved ETFs from BlackRock, Fidelity, Bitwise, and others. According to The Block’s data dashboard, cumulative trading volume of spot Bitcoin ETFs has nearly doubled in the last month alone, from March 8, when total trading volume first surpassed the $100 billion mark, to $201.7 billion at the close of trading yesterday.
2. Grayscale CEO: GBTC outflows have reached balance
Michael Sonnenshein, CEO of digital asset investment manager Grayscale, expects outflows from the firm’s bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) to have evened out. Sonnenshein said some of the selling related to settlements with bankrupt cryptocurrency firms such as FTX is “largely behind us.”
3. Google Cloud and Coinbase join EigenLayer as operators
After the mainnet launch, Coinbase and Google Cloud's cloud division have joined EigenLayer as operators. Several other companies such as Deutsche Telekom MMS, P2P, Nethermind, Figment, Swell and Kiln have also become EigenLayer operators. By participating in the EigenLayer protocol, operators provide services to other applications and process their transactions in exchange for rewards. This additional layer of security comes from the ETH that has been staked on the Ethereum network.
4. Avalanche Foundation distributes 10,000 AVAX as rewards for the first week of Memecoin Rush unilateral staking program
Trader Joe tweeted that the Avalanche Foundation released the rewards for the first week of the Memecoin Rush unilateral staking program, with a total value of approximately US$500,000, with a total allocation of 10,000 AVAX. The rewards were distributed to 10 pools based on the total staked value (TVL) and the percentage of token supply at the time of the snapshot. Participants can visit the staking pool they participate in to claim the rewards directly, or they can let the rewards accumulate throughout the event.
5. KPMG: 54% of respondents in Germany, Switzerland and other countries invest more than 20% of their total assets in cryptocurrency
KPMG recently conducted a study with BTC-ECHO that surveyed approximately 2,400 private crypto investors in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The survey results show a significant increase in interest in cryptocurrencies among respondents, with 54% investing more than 20% of their total assets in cryptocurrencies. At the same time, a large portion of investors (approximately 67%) have shown strong interest in digital assets and plan to hold their investments for 3 to 5 years. However, individuals new to the market are becoming more cautious. They are reviewing their investment prospects with greater vigilance and patience. In 2023, investors will value security, deposit and withdrawal options, and transaction costs when choosing a crypto exchange. According to the report, 34% of investors consider their digital asset investments to be “fairly safe.” However, they remain most concerned about market manipulation, regulatory uncertainty and financial crime. Bitcoin’s dominance among surveyed investors’ portfolios increased by 7% compared to 2023, remaining at 91%. Solana has grown significantly by 9% compared to 2023, trailing only Ethereum in second place.
6. TreasureDAO plans to launch the Treasure Ruby testnet on April 22, which will introduce new task systems and points systems, etc.
TreasureDAO co-founder Karel Vuong tweeted about the Treasure Ruby testnet timeline, partnerships, staking, and more. Timeline: The Ruby testnet is scheduled to launch on April 22, including the new Treasure Portal and Treasure Explorer. The mainnet is scheduled to launch in the third quarter. Partnerships: Strategic partnerships with Treasure Chain and Infinity Chains networks are being implemented, which will enhance interoperability and the utility of MAGIC. Games: Multiple games will be released in 2024, including Smolbound, The Beacon, Kururo, and others, which will introduce new gameplay and tokens. Staking: Treasure Chain will launch a staking mechanism to provide security and cross-chain bridges, as well as new uses for MAGIC. Early adopters: A new quest system and points system will be launched to reward early adopters of Treasure and games. New treasure chests: A second season of treasure chests will be launched, containing more MAGIC and NFTs.
7. Solana validators have passed the "Timely Voting Points" proposal, which may speed up transaction confirmation time
Solana validators have voted to approve a proposal that aims to reduce latency in consensus “votes,” which could speed up on-chain transactions. The proposal, which calls for implementing a “Timely Vote Credits” mechanism on Solana, passed with 98% of the vote in favor on April 9. This will change the mechanism that incentivizes validators to perform “votes,” a key part of Solana’s consensus mechanism used to confirm transactions. According to SolanaLabs, until now, every time a validator submits a consensus vote on a block finalized by the network, they will receive a fixed vote credit. Over time, validators have discovered that they can maximize their gains without any penalties by delaying the time of voting to ensure that they vote on the correct fork. The proposal, proposed on March 14 by Solana validator Shinobi Systems’ “zantetsu,” will implement a variable number of vote credits, with more points being given for votes with lower latency. Solana Labs explains that this will discourage intentional “delays,” as delaying a vote will reduce the number of points that can be earned for that vote.
8. EigenLayer and EigenDA are launched on Ethereum mainnet
Liquidity re-staking protocol EigenLayer announced that it has officially launched on the Ethereum mainnet. The launch is also accompanied by the launch of EigenDA, a data availability (DA) service launched by the EigenLayer team. As an active verification service (AVS), EigenDA is designed to help other blockchain protocols store transaction data and other information. The initial release of EigenLayer will limit some functions, and Sreeram Kannan, CEO of Eigen Labs, called the first release of the protocol a "beta" in an interview last week. It is worth noting that AVSs other than Eigen Labs' EigenDA will be able to "register" with the protocol, but they are not yet fully deployed. In addition, EigenLayer mentioned in its X account: This mainnet launch does not include: (1) in-protocol payments from AVSs to operators; (2) slashing. "Slashing" refers to the method that EigenLayer will use to ensure the honesty of AVS operators: the protocol will rely on a proof-of-stake system similar to Ethereum, in which validators face the risk of having their stakes revoked if they act maliciously. This feature will be launched later this year.
